The present invention relates to a reel assembly for slot machines and, more particularly, to a reel assembly comprising right and left halves of the reel which are interconnected by a connecting member.
Slot machines of the type having a plurality of reels rotatably arranged side by side are constructed such that, when any of the predetermined prize-winning combinations of symbols occurs, the slot machine pays out coins or tokens as prizes in proportion to the number of coins or tokens which have been put in. A reel widely used in slot machines comprises many parts of metal welded or fixed by set screws.
According to a new trend in slot machines, pulse motors associated with respective reels are used to control individually the rotation of the respective reels. The smaller the size of pulse motor is, the lower it is in cost, but there is an undesirable reduction in its rotational torque. If a pulse motor with a low rotational torque is used in a slot machine, then the reel must be made lighter.
For this reason, an integrally formed reel of plastic has received practical application. Since, however, the plastic reel has been the same in construction as a conventional metal reel, it is only marginally ligher in weight. Furthermore, a metal mold of a complicated structure is necessary in order to form an integral reel, so the reel is costly.
There are slot machines of the types having three reels, four reels, or five reels. A requirement for five-reel machines is the provision of reels having a width narrower than that of the reels used with the other types of machines, so as to achieve a compact construction. Since, however, conventional reels are incompatible with different types of slot machines, it is essential to provide several kinds of reels of different width according to the types of slot machine. This is undesirable as to cost and parts control.